Hygienic nail brush

ABSTRACT

A nail brush comprising; a handle section; a plurality of bristles, each of said bristles having an attached end, connected to said handle section, and a free end; each free end positioned, relative to its neighbours, to collectively define an envelope partially enclosing a volume; wherein said volume is structured to receive a portion of at least one human digit extending from a digit tip substantially to an eponychium of said digit.

The present invention relates to a device for cleaning nails, inparticular a brush for cleaning nails.

BACKGROUND

We wash our hands many times a day with varying degrees of thoroughness.The nail, particularly the cuticle, hyponychium, and paronychium (thechannel between the nail bed and finger), can provide traps for dirt andgerms which usual hand washing procedures do not always eliminate.Devices are available to attend specifically to cleaning nails, forexample small brushes have been developed directed to cleaning the nail.A standard nail brush, although effective for removal of dirt frombetween and around the nail plate and the finger, has a number ofdisadvantages. Firstly, the bristles present on the brush are normallyof uniform length on a flat surface, which means that although the gapunder the nail plate, the hyponychium, is cleaned, the surface of thenails, including the cuticle, the paronychium, and the finger tips, arenot cleaned at the same time. A partial solution to this problem isfound in GB678406, which discloses a nail brush with a groove cut intothe bristles which is either V-shaped or segmental in cross-section.This allows for improved cleaning of the finger tips, but does notrepresent a complete solution to the problem.

This prior art arrangement also does not address another serious problemassociated with conventional nail brushes, namely that the brushingaction results in a spray of debris and in particular bacteriathroughout the surrounding environment. This issue is of such importancethat nail brushes are not allowed for example in neo-natal units, due tothe risk of spread of infection.

It would be advantageous to have a nail brush which provided all roundcleaning action for nails and finger tips, whilst at the same timeensures the containment of bacteria.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in its broadest aspect, the invention a handle section, aplurality of bristles, each of said bristles having an attached end,connected to said handle section, and a free end, each free endpositioned, relative to its neighbours, to collectively define anenvelope partially enclosing a volume; wherein said volume is structuredto receive a portion of at least one human digit extending from a digittip substantially to an eponychium of said digit.

Optionally, the cross section of the volume is substantially the sectionof an obround.

Preferably, the brush comprises three sets of bristles, said attachedends of said bristles being located in planes set at an angle to eachother.

Optionally, the volume comprises an arcuate channel.

Optionally, the volume is a spheroid section, shaped to receive a singlefinger.

Preferably, the nail brush comprises a cavity to contain soap ordisinfectant.

Preferably the nail brush comprises flexible wall sections to allowdispensing of soap or disinfectant by application of pressure on theflexible sections.

Preferably the nail brush comprises a prime mover to power movement ofthe bristles.

Optionally, the nail brush comprises an ultraviolet lamp.

Optionally, the nail brush comprises an ultrasonic cleaner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects of the invention will now be described byway of example only with reference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a finger nail which the nail brush ofthe present invention seeks to clean;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a nail brush according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the nail brush of FIG. 1 showing thecleaning volume and envelope of the bristle heads;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nail brush of FIGS. 1 and 2showing the insertion of the human finger of FIG. 1 into the cleaningvolume;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement of thebristles;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of yet another arrangement of bristles;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the nail brush across the sectionA-A′ of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the nail brush of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of theinvention, with closed ends to prevent to dispersion of bacteria;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the non-bristle side of the embodimentof FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a further arrangement of bristles;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention comprising anarcuate brush section;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the brush of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a brush with an opening suitable for a singlefinger;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a brush with an opening suitable for asingle finger;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention witha soap dispenser;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view through the line B-B′ of FIG. 13;

FIG. 18 is a view of FIG. 13, showing the direction of applied pressureto dispense soap or disinfectant;

FIG. 19 is a side view of a motorised nail brush according to anembodiment of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In its broadest aspect, the present invention provides for all-roundcleaning of one or more human finger tips, for example a finger tip asshown in FIG. 1, which shows the fingertip 101, the nail plate 102, thehyponychium 103, the eponychium 104, the cuticle 105, the lateral nailhold or paronychium 106 and the other side of the finger 107. Thisall-round cleaning may be achieved by the nail brush 200 of for example,FIG. 2, which shows a bristle arrangement in which points 202 of thefree ends 203 of the bristles 201 provide for an “envelope” 301 defininga volume into which a top portion of a finger of FIG. 1, extending tothe proximal fold 104 at the end of the nail plate 102 distal thefingertip 101 may be inserted. FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular show a crosssection of such a nail brush 200 according to an embodiment of theinvention. In FIG. 2, a plurality of bristles 201 is attached to ahandle section 205. FIG. 3 illustrates the “envelope” 301 of the bristleheads, representing a surface linking the points 204 provided by thefree ends 203 of the bristles 201, by the shortest distances betweenthem. This envelope extends from a top portion of the finger, forexample from the eponychium 104, over the fingertip 101 and to the softportion of the finger tip not protected by a nail 103, and also in alateral direction, away from such a finger inserted into the envelope,along the length of the brush 200. The envelope defines a volume 302into which fingertips may be inserted via opening 303. This volume issufficient to substantially receive the volume of a human finger fromthe fingertip to the eponychium 104 of the nail when the finger isinserted through opening 303. The enveloping of the fingertip by thebristles enables all-round, and hence improved, cleaning of the wholenail and fingertips rather than merely the gap between the nail plateand the flesh of the finger, the hyponychium 104, as in a conventionalnail brush. The depth of the opening 303 also distinguishes the presentinvention from prior art GB678406, since the latter provides merely ashallow groove for improving cleaning of the hyponychium. This depth ofvolume also assists in the containment of bacteria, fungi and otherdetritus remove from nails by the brushing action.

FIG. 4 is a view of the brush illustrated in FIG. 2, with human finger301 inserted for cleaning. As can be seen, the dimensions of opening 203are such that the fingertip is enveloped from tip 101 to eponychium 104.The person skilled in the art will appreciate that there is norequirement for the bristles 201 of the nail brush 200 to be insimultaneous contact with the nail plate 102, and the other side 107 ofthe finger. In use, all-round cleaning may be achieved by movement ofthe brush in the direction 401 in addition to the conventional motion ofa nail brush in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of thenail plates.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the bristles arranged substantially in asemi-circular trough shape. The person skilled in the art willappreciate however that there are large number of ways in which thebristles may be arranged to achieve the desired effects.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5, in whichthree sets of bristles are provided, positioned on a handle section of abrush, each set of bristles providing for a respective envelope andcleaning surface. The first set of bristles 501 is located relative tohandle section 205 in the manner of a conventional nail brush. The twoadditional sets of bristles 502, 503 are located either transversely tothe plane of the envelope of the first set of bristles or at an angle tothe plane transverse the envelope of the heads of the first set ofbristles. This latter arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 6.

In both alternative embodiments, the first set of bristles 501 islocated on the handle of the brush in a conventional way. The additionalsets of bristles are located on side sections 504, 505 of the handle205. The respective envelopes of bristle heads thus form respectivevolumes 406 which, although differently shaped, serves the same purposeas volume 302 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view across line A-A′ of FIG. 6, showingclearly the dimensions of the cleaning cavity 302, including width 701and height 702, which are the order of the size of a human fingertip.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 of theinvention, showing, the three sets of bristles 401, 402, 403, handle102, side sections 404, 405 and cleaning cavity 406. In this embodiment,the ends 301, 302 of the cavities are open. This embodiment provides forall round cleaning, but only limited containment of bacteria.

FIG. 9 shows a preferred embodiment, with closed cavity ends 901, 902.This arrangement provides for enhanced containment of bacteria which mayhave been removed from finger nails and finger tips by use of the nailbrush. A perspective view of the non-bristle side of the nail brush isshown in FIG. 10.

The person skilled in the art will appreciate that there are alternativearrangements of bristles which will be equally effective. For example,in an alternative embodiment of the invention, illustrated in FIG. 11,the envelope provided by the ends of the bristles forms a section of anobround. The depth of the section is sufficient to accommodate thelength of a human fingertip from tip 101, to eponychium 104, allowingthe relevant portion of the fingertip to be enveloped by the bristlesand providing all-round cleaning in a similar manner.

A further embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 12, whichillustrates a circular nail brush with a cleaning channel 1201 whichprovides a cleaning volume with the same function as volume 302, inaccordance with the invention. A circular handle section 1202 isprovided to support the bristles defining the channel. FIG. 13 is across-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 12 across the line B-B′.Yet another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 14, whichshows a “finger-sized” volume 1401 defined by the envelope of bristleheads. FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 14.

In a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a reservoir,which may be used for containing soap for the convenience of the user,or, in the context of use of the nail brush for hospital hygiene, fordisinfectant. FIG. 16 is a transverse cross section of a nail brushaccording to an embodiment of the invention comprising such a reservoir.There is provided a cavity 1601 for containment of a reservoir typicallycomprising a sachet 1602 constructed from flexible plastics material.The person skilled in the art will appreciate that other arrangementsare possible, such as simply filling the cavity 1601 with soap ordisinfectant. A nozzle 1603 is provided, which typically comprises avalve 1604 or other means to control the flow of the soap ordisinfectant, such as a stopper.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view through line C-C′ of FIG. 16. In order toenable a user to dispense soap or disinfectant from reservoir 1602, sidesections 1701 comprising a flexible plastics material are provided inthe sides of the brush adjacent to the reservoir. The user dispensessoap or disinfectant by applying pressure against the flexible sidesections in the directions 1801, 1802 in FIG. 18 thereby urging soap ordisinfectant out of the reservoir for use.

In another embodiment of the invention a flexible upper section, locatedon the opposite side to the bristles, is provided, wherein the userdispenses soap or disinfectant by pressure applied towards the fingersof the hand being cleaned. In a further embodiment, the entire handlesection of the brush is constructed from flexible plastics material,forming a reservoir, allowing the user to squeeze the handle section inthe palm of one hand to dispense soap or disinfectant onto the otherhand, the hand being cleaned. The person skilled in the art willappreciate that many different arrangements, which fall within the scopeof the invention, are possible, some of which include the flexibleplastics section extending to a greater or lesser extent across thesurface opposite to the bristles or along the side sections of the brushhandle.

A major advantage of the triple action cleaning provided by the“all-round” nature of the bristles in the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention is that the nail cuticle is cleaned and nail growth isstimulated, enhancing nail shine. About 25% of adults will at some pointin their lives have nail infections or similar problems and rigorousbrushing of the nails will remove bacteria, fungi and other detritusfrom the nail plates. It also helps remove “pterygium”, excess cuticlegrowing over the nail plate.

The rigorous brushing of nails can be compared with the removal ofplaque from teeth. An electric toothbrush is known to significantlyincrease oral hygiene by removing more plaque from teeth than brushingwith an ordinary toothbrush. Likewise, brushing of nails can be improvedby the use of a motorised nail brush.

Accordingly, in a further embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a motorised nail brush. A cross-sectional view of a motorisednail brush according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated inFIG. 19. An electric motor 1901 provides reciprocating translationalmotion of a base section which holds the bristles. A handle 1902 isprovided to hold the device in operation. In a first embodiment of themotorised version of the nail brush, a single base section 1903 isprovided, which cause all the bristles to move in the same direction1904 at the same time. In an alternative embodiment, multiple basesections are provided with banks of bristles, which move in opposingdirections. In a further embodiment, the circular nail brush ismotorised, with an electric motor providing rotational motion.

In addition to the physical removal of dirt and germs, two furtherhygiene techniques may be used to enhance cleaning. These areUltraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) and ultrasonic cleaning.

UVGI is a disinfection technique, used in a variety of applications,such as food, air and water purification, which uses short wavelengthultraviolet (UV) light to kill microorganisms. The UV light destroys thenucleic acids in microorganisms, so that their Deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) is disrupted, leaving the organisms unable to perform vitalcellular functions. In a further embodiment of the invention, a UV lampis included in the brush, to provide disinfection.

Ultrasonic cleaning uses high frequency (usually from 20-400 kHz) soundwaves create agitation in water, which in turn removes contaminants fromthe surface of the item to be cleaned. In a further embodiment of theinvention, the nail brush includes an ultrasonic cleaner.

The nail brush of the present invention may be used by a person as partof their general hygiene, or in industry or a caring environment toensure proper and thorough hygiene is maintained. An individual wishingto clean their hands may first wash their hands as usual and then selectthe nail brush to clean their nails. One digit may be inserted into thevolume enclosed by the free ends of the bristles and the nail brushmoved in the plane of the nail plate, such that some bristles will beurged into the hyponychium in a brushing action to remove dirt, germsand general debris. Other bristles will brush against the cuticle, theeponychium, and the paronychium in a general cleaning action. The nailplate will also be polished by this action. The nail brush may then bemoved to brush the bristles first against the nail plate and thenagainst the soft portion of the finger opposite the nail plate in afurther cleaning action.

The fingers may be entered into the volume one by one or all the fingersmay enter into the volume at once. The nail brush will provide acleaning action on those fingers inserted into the volume.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the nails are cleanedand debris and dirt removed from the nails is substantially containedwithin the volume. In the embodiment in which there is an open end inthe brush some debris may spray out from this open end. In theembodiment in which the nail brush ends are closed such spray is avoidedand such nail brushes may be suitable for more sensitive locations whereit is essential that contamination and infection is avoided, such ashospitals, care homes, or sensitive industrial environments.

The second and third volumes provided in the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may also be used to provide a comprehensive andthorough clean of the finger tips and nails.

The invention is not restricted to details of the foregoing embodiments.For example it is contemplated that the nail brush relates to and issuitable for cleaning toes and toe nails in addition to fingers andfinger nails.

1. A nail brush comprising; a handle section; a plurality of bristles,each of said bristles having an attached end, connected to said handlesection, and a free end; each free end positioned, relative to itsneighbours, to collectively define an envelope partially enclosing avolume; wherein said volume is structured to receive a portion of atleast one human digit extending from a digit tip substantially to aneponychium of said digit.
 2. A nail brush as claimed in claim 1, whereina cross-section of said volume is substantially a section of an obround.3. A nail brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said volume comprisesthree sets of bristles, said attached ends of said bristles beinglocated in planes set at an angle to each other.
 4. A nail brush asclaimed in any preceding claim, wherein said volume comprises a anarcuate channel.
 5. A nail brush as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidvolume is a spheroid section, shaped to receive a single finger.
 6. Anail brush as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising acavity to contain soap or disinfectant.
 7. A nail brush as claimed inclaim 6, further comprising flexible sections to allow dispensing ofsaid soap or disinfectant by application of pressure against saidflexible sections.
 8. A nail brush as claimed in any preceding claim,further comprising a prime mover to power movement of bristles.
 9. Anail brush as claimed in claim 9, wherein said prime mover providesreciprocating translational motion for said brush.
 10. A nail brush asclaimed in claim 9, wherein said prime mover provides rotational motionfor said brush.
 11. A nail brush as claimed in any preceding claim,further comprising an ultraviolet lamp.
 12. A nail brush as claimed inany preceding claim, further comprising an ultrasonic cleaner.
 13. Anailbrush substantially as described herein with reference to theaccompanying drawings.
 14. A nail brush substantially as describedherein with reference to the accompanying description.